As Sowunmi tasks David Mark on Benue carnage
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has assured the people and government of Plateau of the upper legislative chamber’s readiness to end the killings in the state.
He said the Senate, under his leadership, would collaborate with other relevant government and security agencies to accomplish the task. He stated this over the weekend at the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) headquarters in Jos during the funeral service of Prof. Janet Plang, the wife of the senator representing Plateau Central in the National Assembly, Diket Plang.
Akpabio, while responding to the plea of Governor Caleb Mutfwang for an urgent response from the Federal Government on the needless murder of innocent indigenes of the state by terrorists, pledged:
“As the President of the 10th Senate, I hear you loud and clear and be assured that your travails will be given the needed attention and response from the relevant agencies and the Egyptians you see today, you shall see them no more.”
He went on: “Let me, on behalf of my distinguished colleagues, condole with your government and the people of Plateau State on this needless and unwarranted loss of lives. I assure you that your message will be delivered to President Bola Tinubu, and something will be done very urgently to protect the lives and property of the people living in this state.”
IN the same vein, former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign, Segun Sowunmi, has faulted former Senate President, David Mark, over his recent comment that the North is bleeding, and that only the emerging opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) could solve the insecurity ravaging the region.
Mark, who is the interim National Chairman of the ADC- a party recently adopted by some prominent opposition politicians, including Atiku, former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and ex-Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi – had claimed that the coalition is the only credible platform capable of addressing insecurity, hunger and poverty in the North if voted into power in 2027.
But reacting in an interview yesterday, Sowunmi advised Mark to concentrate on addressing the incessant killings in his home state of Benue before pontificating about security solutions for the entire North.
He cited the case of the Yelewata community in Benue, where over 100 people were reportedly killed and thousands displaced by suspected Fulani militias, claiming that the ex-Senate President had failed to use his influence to address the crisis.
“It is embarrassing that a statesman of David Mark’s calibre is more concerned about political power than the persistent bloodshed in his backyard. Before talking about insecurity in the broader North, he must explain why the killings in Benue have persisted under his watch and influence,” Sowunmi said.
